Taking the Good with the Bad

Hooray!  My kid was able to eat the Sweet BBQ Sauce from Buffalo Wild Wings!!!  This is another first.  He loved it so much as he dipped his fries, wings, and celery in it.  The sauce consisted of corn and tomato which used to be huge no-nos for him.  He also had some organic corn chips earlier in the day which have always triggered a belly ache that lasted a few days.  He hasn't mentioned any issues once throughout the day, so I'm definitely encouraged.  We tested out the goggles yet again, and no eczema outbreak.  He did have an allergic outbreak on Christmas Eve, which I believe was to a cat at my aunt's house.  The kiddo was perfectly fine until he went downstairs where the cat hangs out.  Within 2 seconds, I'm not exaggerating, the itching kicked in and his eyes were watering, red and swelling up.  He hadn't had any unusual or new foods beforehand.  Fortunately a benedryl cleared him up quickly and he was able to enjoy his evening.

Over the last week he had NAET treatments for shellfish and soy beans.  We have yet to try either, and I'm particularly suspicious of shellfish as he once had a very strange reaction to crab meat.  It wasn't the usual hives and itching, but little purple dots appeared all over his face.  It was like someone took a felt tip marker and dotted him all up.  His practitioner said we could test out shellfish in the office, and if he were to have a reaction then they would re-treat on the spot.  Still makes me nervous.

Firsts

We've had a few firsts around here as of late, and we're very excited!  My son is 4 1/2 and last week experienced his first candy cane!  I quote him, "This is way too awesome!"  I found a natural candy cane at Whole Foods made by Tru Sweet.  So what if there were "on sale" for 2 for $7, it was magical watching his face light up.  We've avoided these in the past due to his corn allergy and the red dye, and will probably continue to go with the natural ones due to the dye.  I also found a company called Pure Fun that makes natural cotton candy, I'm hoping to find a tub of it for a Christmas present.

Tonight was another big first--ketchup!  Or should I say he thinks it's the first since he hasn't had it since it was about 24 months when he started breaking out into hives over tomatoes.  He did fine with Heinz which has tomato and corn syrup in it.

We treated for his silicone goggles last Friday and he wore them on Monday at swim without issue, so the treatment seemed to have worked.  We're heading out of town for the holiday and will be doing plenty of swimming, so we'll really get to put the goggles to the test.

I can't wait for January when our flexible spending account kicks back in and the monthly out of pocket cost for these treatments aren't so painful.  There's so much we need to work on:  soy, shellfish, milk, wheat, oats, broccoli, latex, blueberries, nuts, flavorings, dyes, palm oil, and I'm sure a few more.  It is so crazy that I've seen every one of the listed items cause an allergic reaction, and some very serious.  I have a theory on what is causing the spike in allergies amongst Western kids. I've probably shared it before, but here it goes . . .Todays mothers come from the antibiotic age where these medications were used frequently and excessively.  Antibiotics kill all bacteria, including the good bacteria in the gut.  And then good and bad bacteria repopulate the gut. We now know that about 80% of the immune system stems from the gut. However, I suspect that the balance of bacteria has been thrown off due to antibiotics.  I wonder if there's any records of gut bacteria ratios throughout the century?  I doubt it.  Anyways, a newborn's gut is sterile until it passes through the birth canal and gets it's first exposure to bacteria.  Or they're born to Strep-B mother's who are on antibiotics or via C-section, in either case they are not exposed to the bacteria.  Now, not all kids born via C-section have these allergies and there are siblings born to the same mother where one is fine and the other is allergic.  I would argue that genetics also play a role in this theory--some are pre-disposed for allergies and once they encounter the wrong mix of gut bacteria, then it's an uphill battle.

Where We're At Now

I haven't updated lately mostly because we were out of town, there's been nothing major in my kid's health to report on, and he was stuck on the egg treatment with NAET.

Let me back up a bit . . .I wrote "there's been nothing major in my kid's health to report on."  This is a major statement in and of itself!  Do I dare jinx it to say there has been no coughing, runny nose, or any major or lasting eczema outbreaks?!  He hasn't taken his daily dose of Zyrtec in many, many weeks.  Which I give some credit to the change of season (summer is always tough on him.)  He's sleeping much better at night, not even requiring any Atarax to go to bed.  He doesn't lay in bed and itch like before or demanding his eyebrows be rubbed (they're a trouble spot for him); he actually falls asleep on his own. Come to think of it, the only prescriptions he's currently taking is his nightly dose of LDN, 2 puffs of Flovent to control asthma, and Epiceram cream after his baths on his known trouble spots and the Cera'Ve (not Rx) on the rest of his body.  Aside from that, he gets a daily capsule of probiotics (it's awesome that he learned to swallow pills!), 2000 IUs of Vitamin D, and a multi vitamin.  He's in such a better place these days, and everyone notices.  The best compliment we've received is from one of the ladies that works at the childcare center at the gym who sees him every week.  She said, "I know you're doing this alternative medicine stuff, and I don't understand it especially sine my dad was a medical doctor and my mom a nurse, but it's obvious it's working--he looks great!"

As for NAET, it ended up taking 4 additional treatments to get the all-clear on egg.  Since egg was such an issue for him, we're eventually going to do some additional work on it and I'm not ready to introduce egg at this time. We have since treated for corn which he cleared and we're ready to try.  This past week we actually treated for silicone as his eyes were breaking out to his new swim goggles.  So we'll see how that goes tomorrow at swim class.  He's been eating clementines by the box full, sometimes 2-3 per day, and doing great with tomatoes and pork.  All these foods use to cause immediate hives.  Next up is either soy or shell fish (as I want to be able to give him a krill oil supplement which is more shelf stable than fish oil, and more nutrient dense.)

Boy, what a difference a year has made!

The Vitamin D Council's rebuttal of the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Food and Nutrition Board (FNB recommendation

The following post was taken from Dr. Jacqueline McCandless' Yahoo Group LDN and Autism.  Dr. McCandless began using LDN (low dose naltrexone) on autistic children after she discovered their blood panels were coming back identical to that of MS patients who were having success on LDN.  Dr. McCandless is also heading up a study in Africa on LDN and AIDS.


Today, the Food and Nutrition Board has Failed Millions

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif., Dec. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the Vitamin D Council:
After 13 years of silence, the quasi governmental agency, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Food and Nutrition Board (FNB), yesterday recommended that a three - pound premature infant can take virtually the same amount of vitamin D as a 300 pound pregnant woman. While that 400 IU/day dose is close to adequate for infants, 600 IU/day in pregnant women will do nothing to help the three childhood epidemics most closely associated with gestational and early childhood vitamin D deficiencies: asthma, auto-immune disorders, and, as recently reported in the largest pediatric journal in the world, autism (1). Professor Bruce Hollis of the Medical University of South Carolina has shown pregnant and lactating women need at least 5,000 IU/day, not 600.
The FNB also reported that vitamin D toxicity might occur at an intake of 10,000 IU/day (250 micrograms), although they could produce no reproducible evidence that 10,000 IU/day has ever caused toxicity in humans and only one poorly conducted study indicating 20,000 IU/day may cause mild elevations in serum calcium but not clinical toxicity.
Viewed with different measure, this FNB report recommends that an infant should take 10 micrograms/day (400 IU) and the pregnant women 15 micrograms/day (600 IU). As a single 30 minutes dose of summer sunshine gives adults more than 10,000 IU (250 micrograms), the FNB is apparently also warning that natural vitamin D input – as occurred from the sun before the widespread use of sunscreen – is dangerous. That is, the FNB is implying that God does not know what she is doing. 
Disturbingly, this FNB committee focused on bone health, just like they did 14 years ago. They ignored the thousands of studies from the last ten years that showed higher doses of vitamin D helps: heart health, brain health, breast health, prostate health, pancreatic health, muscle health, nerve health, eye health, immune health, colon health, liver health, mood health, skin health, and especially fetal health. Tens of millions of pregnant women and their breast-feeding infants are severely vitamin D deficient, resulting in a great increase in the medieval disease, rickets. The FNB report seems to reason that if so many pregnant women have low vitamin D blood levels then it must be OK because such low levels are so common. However, such circular logic simply represents the cave man existence of most modern day pregnant women. 
Hence, if you want to optimize your vitamin D levels – not just optimize the bone effect – supplementing is crucial. But it is almost impossible to significantly raise your vitamin D levels when supplementing at only 600 IU/day (15 micrograms). Pregnant women taking 400 IU/day have the same blood levels as pregnant women not taking vitamin D; that is, 400 IU is a meaninglessly small dose for pregnant women. Even taking 2,000 IU/day of vitamin D will only increase the vitamin D levels of most pregnant women by about 10 points, depending mainly on their weight. Professor Bruce Hollis has shown that 2,000 IU/day does not raise vitamin D to healthy or natural levels in either pregnant or lactating women. Therefore supplementing with higher amounts -- like 5000 IU/day -- is crucial for those women who want their fetus to enjoy optimal vitamin D levels, and the future health benefits that go along with it.
For example, taking only two of the hundreds of recently published studies, Professor Urashima and colleagues in Japan gave 1,200 IU/day of vitamin D3 for six months to Japanese 10 year-olds in a randomized controlled trial. They found vitamin D dramatically reduced the incidence of influenza A as well as the episodes of asthma attacks in the treated kids while the placebo group was not so fortunate. If Dr. Urashima had followed the newest FNB recommendations, it is unlikely that 400 IU/day treatment arm would have done much of anything and some of the treated young teenagers may have come to serious harm without the vitamin D. Likewise, a randomized controlled prevention trial of adults by Professor Joan Lappe and colleagues at Creighton University, which showed dramatic improvements in the health of internal organs, used more than twice the FNB's new adult recommendations.
Finally, the FNB committee consulted with 14 vitamin D experts and – after reading these 14 different reports – the FNB decided to suppress their reports. Many of these 14 consultants are either famous vitamin D researchers, like Professor Robert Heaney at Creighton, or in the case of Professor Walter Willett atHarvard, the single best-known nutritionist in the world. So, the FNB will not tell us what Professors Heaney and Willett thought of their new report? Why not? Yesterday, the Vitamin D Council directed our attorney to file a federal Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the IOM's FNB for the release of these 14 reports.
I, my family, most of my friends, hundreds of patients, and thousands of readers of the Vitamin D Council newsletter, have been taking 5,000 IU/day for up to eight years. Not only have they reported no significant side-effects, indeed, they have reported greatly improved health in multiple organ systems. My advice: especially for pregnant women, continue taking 5,000 IU/day until your (OH)D] is between 50 ng/ml and 80 ng/ml (the vitamin D blood levels obtained by humans who live and work in the sun and the mid-point of the current reference ranges at all American laboratories). Gestational vitamin D deficiency is not only associated with rickets, but a significantly increased risk of neonatal pneumonia (2), a doubled risk for preeclampsia (3), a tripled risk for gestational diabetes (4), and a quadrupled risk for primary cesarean section (5). 
Yesterday, the FNB failed millions of pregnant women whose as yet unborn babies will pay the price. Let us hope the FNB will comply with the spirit of "transparency" by quickly responding to our freedom of Information requests.
John Cannell, MD
The Vitamin D Council
1241 Johnson Avenue, #134
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(1) Cannell JJ.. On the aetiology of autism. Acta Paediatr. 2010 Aug;99(8):1128-30. Epub 2010 May 19.
(2)Karatekin G, Kaya A, Salihoglu O, Balci H, Nuhoglu A. Association of subclinical vitamin D deficiency in newborns with acute lower respiratory infection and their mothers. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2009;63(4):473-7.
(3) Bodnar LM, Catov JM, Simhan HN, Holick MF, Powers RW, Roberts JM. Maternal vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of preeclampsia. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007;92(9):3517-22.
(4) Zhang C, Qiu C, Hu FB, David RM, van Dam RM, Bralley A, Williams MA. Maternal plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and the risk forgestational diabetes mellitus. PLoS One. 2008;3(11):e3753.
(5) Merewood A, Mehta SD, Chen TC, Bauchner H, Holick MF. Association between vitamin D deficiency and primary cesarean section. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009;94(3):940-5.

Probiotics and Skin Health

Great article from Dr. Mercola on what science has yet to discover on the role of probiotics and skin health.

"Signals from these gut microorganisms are sent throughout your body and interact with organisms in your skin and gut mucosa. Researchers are now looking into how these interactions can help with skin conditions like dryness, improve collagen, or stabilize the microflora on your skin to help with irritations."  Functional probiotics for the skin are being developed right now.  Not sure what I think of buying probiotics from cosmetic companies, but hey if they want to jump on the bandwagon then that will draw even more attention to this exciting science.

I shortened the URL, as it was so long:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/2bfl5z5

Peanut Allergy Starts in the Womb & GMO Soy

According to a recent study, "More than one million children nationwide have peanut allergies and that number continues to rise.  That's why a study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology is getting so much attention.

It found that of the 500 children tested, the ones whose mothers ate peanuts during pregnancy had nearly a three times greater chance of developing a peanut allergy."

http://www.wvec.com/news/health/Study-suggests-peanut-allergy-starts-in-the-womb-106645529.html

Yep, that was me.  Basically living off peanut butter everyday while pregnant.  I started every morning with peanut butter on toast.  Being a vegetarian, I also now realize that I ate WAY too much soy.  Which I have since learned is largely GMO (genetically modified food.)  It's estimated that 91% of soy is GMO, not to mention 85% of corn.  Something about eating Round Up infused seeds doesn't seem appealing, or healthy.  Not to mention the Russian study that found rats who were fed GMO soy produced offspring that had a 55% mortality rate.  "Within three weeks, 25 of the 45 (55.6%) rats from the GMO soy group died compared to only 3 of 33 (9%) from the non-GMO soy group and 3 of 44 (6.8%) from the non-soy controls."  I first learned about this from Dr. Mercola, but have since seen it published elsewhere:
http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/articles/GE-rat-babies.php

Salsa!

Have you ever seen anyone actually drink salsa?!  Well, I witnessed it today as my kid now loves the stuff.  Last night he got his first taste of it and of course he wanted more today.  He then proceeded to drink it out of the bowl.  The best part--no reaction!! Seems as if the tomato treatment is holding, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Peanuts Scare Me

I've become quite terrified of a little peanut.  Maybe I read too much, but knowing that my kid is a level 6 on the RAST test to peanuts scares the hell out of me--that's the highest one can show allergic to.  Oh yeah, and the fact that I've seen him go into anaphalatic shock after he took a supplement containing peanut (before the RAST test.)  It caused him immediate asthma and diarrhea.  I also recall reading in Dr. Kenneth Bock's book Healing the New Childhood Epidemics:  Autism, ADHD, Allergies, and Asthma (which I highly recommend) that one of his colleagues had a daughter that could immediately tell if a peanut was in the room, as her chest would tighten and she'd have trouble breathing.  That poor child passed away after an anaphalatic shock to nuts.  How heartbreaking.

So yesterday as we're on the airplane, just as our tires start to roll to take-off, the man in front of me & my son opens a bag of peanuts.  My heart sunk.  They had such a strong aroma.  We were going to quickly learn if my kid's peanut allergy was the airborne type.  Thankfully it wasn't, but those few minutes were shear terror for me.  There's only so much protection you can provide your child, and it's a constant up hill battle.

Taking a Break

We're taking a break from our hectic everyday life and heading out of town for some fun.  We all need some mental rejuvenation in our quest to extinguish eczema, although it's impossible to really escape it at least we won't be running to and from doctors.  I got a glimpse last night as to what it would be like to not have to deal with the horrendous itch that rears it's ugly head at bedtime most nights.  My kid fell asleep in the car and never woke back up.  I had three hours to myself without him screaming how itchy he is and how he needs cream and oil rubbed onto his forehead and eyebrows.  I know some of it's a ploy to get mom's attention and for him to stay awake a bit longer, but I also know he does have a medical condition.  I keep telling myself to cherish this rare occasion, but part of me is so envious of others as this is how it should be every night.  It saddens me that he suffers, and I wish it didn't take such a toll on me as I'm so exhausted by the end of each day.

Enough of 'woes me.'  Our last couple of NAET treatments have been interesting, yet frustrating.  We've gone back to work on eggs and are struggling with them.  Today we had our third treatment for whites & yolks along with certain emotions--frustration, upset, anger, and sadness.  I know I've mentioned this before, but eggs were the second treatment we did back in December.  My son use to have this horrible rash on his torso, basically covered in hives that would not go away no matter how much steroid cream was applied or changes in diet we tried.  And the rash was there for at least two years.  Well, the morning after his first egg treatment the rash vanished and has never reappeared. I kid you not.

Before I knew anything about food allergies, his Ped was pushing me to fatten my son up with dairy and ice cream.  At nine months his first taste of ice cream was followed by projectile vomiting.  Turns out there were eggs in the ice cream.  Eventually he had a RAST test (IgE blood test) done and rated a level 3 for both yolks and whites. RAST tests though can be very misleading, as they deal more in the probability of a reaction--so reaction always trumps any test. Given our history with eggs, I have been extremely reluctant to allow him to try eggs even though NAET said he originally 'passed' them.  But he did ingest some recently by accident, as they were in some soup that I was unaware of at the time.  And the only reason I know this is because he had a little breakout above his eye (his main trouble spot) that made me inquire further.  But that was the extent of it, just a small rash.  So if NAET can get us to the point where every food isn't life threatening, I'll take it.  But I definitely would recommend working in conjunction with your allergist when it comes to testing foods that have been real troublesome.

Organic Delivery Service

With the importance of avoiding food triggers and chemicals, my house has transitioned to eating organic whenever possible.  Aside from my weekly runs to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, I also frequently use an organic delivery service  called Door-to-Door Organics, http://www.doortodoororganics.com/.  This company operates in only a select few states, but there are other services and co-ops out there once you start searching.  It's so nice to have fresh produce delivered to our house, especially with all the running to and from doctors!  We're now going to NAET twice a week, it's definitely a time commitment that's for sure.

We had a treatment yesterday which I'll write about soon.  It was very unexpected and I'm still mulling over as to how exactly to express it in words.

Tomatoes!

Well, tomatoes seem to be a success!!  I made a pasta sauce with homegrown canned tomatoes, as I wanted to get as close to pure as possible.  We started slow, but after 30 minutes there was no sign of a reaction so my little guy proceeded to eat 2 bowls of pasta with tomato sauce!  The whole time he kept saying how much he loved it, and how he wished his dad was home to see him eat =)  Even cuter was when he woke up the next day asking for tomato sauce for breakfast.

It Worked!

The pork treatment worked!  To my amazement, he ate another pork sausage after completing his pork treatment and it really seemed to work.  His skin remained beautifully smooth around his eyes and forehead.  He did seem to have a little itching under his neck, but it was minimal.  How wonderful if NAET holds the answers we've been searching for.  We'll be trying tomato this week to see how his body will deal with them. We also did a citrus treatment this week, at the request of my kid.  He's craving oranges but they don't agree with him, so we shall see how that trial goes, too.

Healing Power of Probiotics

An interesting article on the healing power of probiotics.  We use one by Klaire Labs.  He was originally prescribed 100+billion CFUs/day in the powder form, but since he's learned to swallow pills he's only getting 50+billion.  They're just so expensive and to take 4 a day would cost a fortune!

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/11/probiotics-healing-power-impresses-researchers.aspx

And Our First Food Choice Is. . .

Tomatoes!  We treated for tomatoes today. Why?  Because I think we can get a lot of bang for our buck if my kid can eat tomatoes again without breaking out in hives.  Oh the pasta sauces, soups, BBQ, chili, and salsas! Not to mention ketchup.  This poor kid doesn't even know what ketchup tastes like!!  Plus tomatoes shouldn't require all the work that wheat or dairy will need.  So my plan is to get him eating more variety and then we'll tackle the biggies.

On a related note, I once again watched my child's perfectly clear skin breakout before my eyes.  This time it was while eating a pork sausage.  His eyelids and neck immediately became dry, red, and peely.  About a week ago this also happened with a pepperoni stick from Whole Foods.  Could it be pork?  Yes, according to the muscle testing.  It was quite amazing during the test--using me as a surrogate I held the 'pork mix' vial while my son touched the top of my hand.  The doctor then proceeded to test the strength of my other arm.  She could have used a feather, my arm had absolutely no strength in it what so ever.  So our next treatment will be Pork.  Then we'll work on eggs and soy as there's more work to be done there.

NAET Recap, Where we are today

We are now 9 months and 41 treatments into NAET.  It's been a very interesting experience to say the least.  Although I am cautious to give NAET too much credit, I can't deny that today my kid's skin looks and feels wonderful.  It's smooth and creamy in color, just beautiful.  I also know that the itch remains, but it is starting to subside "a tiny bit" as he would say.  It could be just NAET, but I'm inclined to think that the cooler weather has something to do with it as well.

We're at the tip of the iceberg, as we still have yet to work on food allergies.  We've spent a lot of time trying to conquer environmentals and other issues up to this point.  I think Monday starts foods, and I can't wait.  Since the basic 15, we've completed organs, fish mix, cotton, pool water (chlorinated and bromine), hypothalamus, heat, adrenals, probiotics, asthma, grass mix, mold mix, tree mix, staph, me, and virus.

It's a long process, but I do whole-heartedly believe his body is processing nutrients better.  He's gained 5 pounds and 3 inches since starting NAET.  This is huge for a kid that had fallen off the growth charts just one year ago.  So we'll continue on this journey, and hope for the best with foods.  I dream of the day he can enjoy pizza and ice cream.  I know, unhealthy but he has worked so hard and this would make him so happy.

Changing Medications

After visiting the allergist this week, we'll be trying out some new medications.  My kid currently takes a morning dose of Pulmicort .5 via the nebulizer for asthma control, and we're going to try Flovent 44 with the chamber.  We'll start with 2 puffs in the am and 2 puff in the pm for 3 weeks, and then hopefully drop the evening puffs. It will be so nice to be free of the nebbie!  The other thing we started on is Epi Ceram, which I'm real excited about.  It's a cremacide cream for eczema.  Although my kid's skin is pretty much under control the itch is still there.  There's a chance this stuff might help, although I'm not going to get my hopes up too much.  The doc said we'll know within 2 weeks if it will for for him.  Apparently there are 3 components that have to be aligned, something with the cremacide, the right cholesterol in the skin and one other thing that I can't recall.  So we shall see.

Body Temperature Regulation

For quite sometime I've suspected that my kid's body doesn't properly regulate his body temperature.  He's constantly hot and wants to be where it's cold, even in the winter.  I know infant's and children's' bodies can take some time to mature, for instance in the case of the digestive track and immune system, and I suspect that is the case for my kid when it comes to temperature regulation.  Other tell-tale signs are the hives/rashes he'll get on his face after running around, which is followed by extreme itchiness.


So suspecting all of that, we are now focusing on body temperature with NAET treatments.  Last week we treated for hypothalamus, which controls temperature, sleep, and appetite.  And yesterday we treated for heat.  As luck would have it, these treatments also coincide with cooler outdoor temperatures.  So I'm not sure if my kid's skin is looking better due to the treatments or a change in weather as summer was a bit rough for him.


What I can tell you is that my husband has just completed treatment number 22.  Since completing the basics he has treated for house dust, virus mix, lungs, weed mix, tree mix, me, and thyroid.  During that time he also started taking an allergy supplement called D-Hist.  His health has been noticeably improved (he travels a lot and has always been constantly sick), he told me his feeling of not able to get a deep breath has subsided, and he can tell something positive has happened to his body from within. Is it NAET or the D-hist?  He tends to think the D-Hist is making a big difference.  Now my kid was on the D-Hist jr. for quite sometime prior to NAET and I couldn't tell if it was helping at all, but our Ped told me that it was enough to cure one kid's terrible eczema.  Just happened to be what the kid's body needed.

Vitamin D--fights off the flu better than the vaccine!

Another reason to supplement with Vitamin D--it fends off the flu and asthma.

This Japanese study showed that children taking Vitamin D3 were 58 percent less likely to catch influenza A. That's a higher effectiveness than any flu vaccine can claim!

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62I3MK20100319

Ever wonder what are "Natural Flavorings"?

Seeing how each of the three supplements contained "Natural Flavorings", I got to thinking what exactly are these flavorings that are so natural.  I also took another peek at the ingredient labels of a few favorite foods in or house--Honest Kid juice boxes (although we limit these to only special occasions when other kids are around drinking juice), Rice Dream Organic frozen dessert, Breyer's Pure Fruit All Natural popsicles, and Pure Decadent Coconut Milk ice cream.  Guess what, they all have "Natural Flavoring" listed as an ingredient.  I've always assumed that natural flavoring just meant it came from a fruit or vegetable.  WRONG!  Apparently flavoring can come from byproducts of beef, poultry, fish, egg, and milk, plants, barks, roots, to name a few.  I found this article online that lays thing out:  http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/4676616


Here's the definition of natural flavor under the Code of Federal Regulations: “the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional” (21CFR101.22).


Our practitioner was telling me how natural is actually made from chemicals.  WHAT?  Yep, it's true according to that article! "Artificial and natural flavors are made by “flavorists” in a laboratory by blending either “natural” chemicals or “synthetic” chemicals to create flavorings."


No wonder I've had such a hard time getting a grasp on what this kid is allergic to.  And now it makes all the more sense to move onto treating for milk and casein (things I know my kid is allergic to, but we avoid at all costs, or at least we thought we were!)  It just makes me cringe at what we have done to our food supply.  It's no wonder allergies and reactions are on the rise and people like my child suffer.

How to decide what's next?

It's funny how things work out sometimes.  Hubby & I have been talking about what treatments should be next for our kid.  He's eager to jump right in and conquer foods we've been avoiding, while although I know those need to be addressed eventually I keep thinking that he must be reacting to something he's currently being fed and maybe we start there.  But where to start?  Well sometimes the answers just fall into one's lap (as a friend of mine says 'is it God or is it odd?')  I was out of town for two days, and when I can home yesterday I noticed that hubby didn't follow my precise written instructions to give the kid his supplements which I had separated into a pill dispenser.  We also both noticed how awesome the kid's skin looked. At bedtime I gave my son three of the supplements--fish oil, zinc, and his juice plus vitamins he recently started taking.  Within minutes he had an inflamed spot on his forehead above his eye, which is his big trouble spot.  Hmmm, it couldn't be from the nutritious supplements that I spend thousands of dollars on and make sure he takes religiously every morning and night, could it?!

So that was last night, and lucky for us we had a NAET appointment this morning.  We tested for all three supplements, and low and behold he tested allergic to all three.  So today's treatment was for fish, something that he's been eating about once a week and taking the fish oil supplements every morning.  Next week we'll try to conquer natural flavorings, which all supplements had in them.  I was informed that natural flavoring can still mean artificial flavoring, so we'll be taking that route.  Funny how a direction just landed in our laps.

Plugging Along

Not much new to report these days.  Guess that's a good thing?!  Yesterday a friend asked me how my kid was doing and I actually replied "Awesome!"  But I'm still very cautious as I've seen in the past how quickly things can change.  But he has been doing well as of late, which is indeed AWESOME!

As for NAET, the focus is still on environmentals.  The last two weeks have been spent working on Grass, which took two attempts to clear.  Today we moved on to Weeds, since we're on the verge of Ragweed/Hay Fever season.  I'm getting antsy to move on to foods.  As for hubby, he's completed the basic 15 and today did the Organ treatment.  With our practioner it's actually a 'basic 16', so next week he can start focusing on other areas (which will be his lungs.)

Don't know if I've ever mentioned what a hassle bedtime has become in my house?  Ever since we had to start sleeping with my son a year ago when he went through the terrible eczema outbreak and yeast treatments bedtime has been so stressful, especially when it's mom that puts him to bed and not dad.  One of us slept with him for 7 months until the skin issues got better.  Since then whenever dad puts him to bed, there's no issue.  But when mom puts him to bed it's absolute drama!  Itching, crying, scratching, more crying.  It breaks my heart because I know he has a medical condition, so I lay there and rub his face, ears, wrists--whatever he's trying to itch and dig at.  Finally I decided to try a new tactic--a bedtime chart with a sticker reward system.  Earn 10 stickers for going to bed without all the drama and earn a trip to Target to pick out a toy.  Well, wouldn't you know it the last two nights the kid has gone to sleep easily on his own.

Why does it seem like we're always going to the doctor?

BECAUSE WE ARE!  I tallied up the last six months and we have been to the doctors 35 times.  4 were to see the Ped, 2 were to Urgent Care/After Hours, and the rest were for NAET.  That's about $2500 out of pocket, not counting prescriptions.  THANKFULLY not one was to the ER, and I guess that's all that matters.  What a wild ride having a kid has been.  We use to only go to the doctors once or twice a year--how times have changed.  Hopefully we can get back to that!

Do I make my husband sneeze?

My husband is just about finishing up the basic 15 of the NAET protocol.  Today he was treated for Base.  5 hours after treatment it hit him like a ton a bricks.  It's happened before, that's how we know it's NAET.  He'll go from feeling fine to feeling completely sick and flu-like, only to rebound the next day.

While we were in the doc's office today I had her test myself and my husband to see if we're "allergic" to each other.  Good news, I'm not allergic to him.  Bad news. he's allergic to me.  It actually came as no surprise to me, as the moment I read that people can actually be allergic to each other I suspected that would be the case with us.  So one of these days we'll treat for that, but when we do it means no driving home together, one of us staying out of the house overnight, and no talking on the phone.  So I immediately thought "great, I'll leave the kid with hubby and have a girls day/night" and he immediately thought it meant a chance for him to go fishing and drink beer.  Go figure.

My kid passed staph, was checked for and ok with strep, and then treated for grass mix.  After 3 hours all his typical allergy/eczema spots on his face were red.  I'm taking that as a sign the treatment is working.

No Reaction at Swim Class Today!

Could the pool water NAET treatments really have worked?  I'm starting to believe they did.  He's been in a chlorine pool just a couple of times since his treatment a few weeks back.  I didn't want to write about it until he had a couple of lessons.  He's done fabulous each time in the pool.  No hives, itching, rashes, or anything of the sort while in the pool.  It's awesome to watch him enjoy himself without all the scratching and rubbing.  Do I dare say it, but his skin seems to look better after swimming than it does before going into the pool.  Is that weird or what?

Maybe that's the little bit of proof I've been looking for.  I'm such a skeptic, but we have had some small victories along the way.  I just want my kid to be fully recovered, and now!  Patience has never been my strong suit.

An update on his staph boils. . .he's still on antibiotics, but all 3 boils have drained and seem to be healed; (knock on wood) no knew boils have appeared.  He did a NAET treatment for staph last week, hopefully his body can learn to live in harmony with staph as it should.

It's Always Something

Seriously, it's always something with my kid.  Right now we're dealing with boils.  Over the course of the last week he has had 3 appear.  First on his butt cheek, then one between his thigh and groin, and most recently one on the back of his leg that has him limping.  We've been to the doctor's twice in four days.  Apparently it's a staph infection that has colonized in his body.  So far the good news is that it's not MRSA, but a strain treatable by many antibiotics which we started today.  I just feel so bad for my kid, the doctor lanced one boil today to drain the pus and get another culture. That was not a pleasant experience, so afterwards I was talked into letting him pick out a new toy from Target all while hearing from my lil guy about what a terrible doctor she was and how he never wants to see her again.  I don't blame him!!  I never want to have to learn about another skin condition again, ever!

On a positive note, he's gained 2 pounds in 2 months!!

Beyond the Basic 15

Seems like an eternity, but we have made it beyond the basic 15.  We took a little detour towards the end with the cottonwood,  and bromine & chlorine pool water. He's only been in a pool once since the pool treatments, and amazingly did great.  I want to witness a few more times to really believe he's okay with the chlorine water.  From there he cleared hormones and was treated today for organs.  Seems his kidneys are a weak link.  Also seems that environmental allergies have taken a hold of the kid (I'm right there with him this week.)

At this point there's nothing really new to report, but I'm anxious to tackle many of the known allergens my kid has.  Hopefully we start to make some great headway over the next few weeks.

Food Substitution List

Here's a great list of food substitutes when dealing with food allergies.  Also, check out the rest of the site, awesome allergy friendly recipes:

http://www.livingwithout.com/resources/substitutions.html

Bleach Baths & Wet Wraps

When my son was at the height of his eczema flares we frequently would use wet wraps to bring the skin under control.  They worked quite well, even if it was a temporary fix.  It sad though to put a baby to bed in wet pajamas, and even sadder once he could tell me that "mommy these are cold."  But none the less, it was a way to bring some much needed relief to his skin.

The other thing that worked when his skin was infected was adding a very small amount of bleach to his bath, this would kill the staph infection on his skin.  I hated doing this, but in reality it's like weak pool water.  I eventually resorted to adding peroxide to his bath instead as his sensitivity to chlorine became apparent. After these baths it's so important to moisturize the skin with a good, non-irritating cream like CeraVe.

I mention all of this because I just read a good article validating all of the above, check it out:
http://www.tampabay.com/news/health/simple-treatments-help-boys-severe-eczema/1102859

Pool Water

Pool water has always been an issue for my kid.  He can barely stand to be in a chlorine pool as his brow breaks out in hives and he starts itching like crazy.  Bromine pools seem gentler on his skin, but if he swallows too much pool water he'll develop asthma.  I wish they were all saltwater pools, but unfortunately that's not the case.

Instead of completing the Basic 15, we decided to go for the pool water.  I brought some of the bromine water back from our vacation, and he was treated to that earlier this week.  Then we proceeded with treating him for the chlorine pool water today.  Immediately after the treatment (before we even paid) he was complaining of his stomach hurting and not feeling well.  From past experience, I'm taking that to be a good sign that the treatment is working.  I'm anxiously awaiting to see what happens at swim lessons next week.  I'll keep you posted!

The plan from here is to go back and treat for hormones.  I brought up with the doctor today that it seems with every treatment he shows that his kidneys are weak and asked if it made sense to treat for that after the basic 15, and if so I'd be interested in having him treated for liver as well since I think his could use some help.  She said that after the basic 15 she always does the organ treatment which should help with these issues.  So that's our course of action.

Base #14

So close to being done with the basic 15, it seems like an eternity since we started NAET back in December.  But it's only been 6 months.  Some of the delay was on our part, being out of town and such; and some was due to having to repeat a number of treatments to get clearance.  Today was Base, and one of the easier food avoidance treatments---thankfully!

Our last treatment was Cottonwood, and then we headed South for vacation.  My kid was a new person while in Florida, perfectly clear skin.  The second our plane returned home, I could see slight reddness in his trouble areas (eyelids and above the right eye.)  Not terrible, but it was there along with mild itching.  I think it's some of the pollens and grasses in our area.

I scheduled two treatments for next week, one to complete the basics and one to treat for chlorine!  That's my first choice seeing how my son reacts EVERY week to the pool water at swim lessons.  We've gotten so accustomed to the food allergies, that avoiding them a little longer doesn't really matter.

Mmmm, Smoothies!

I made the best homemade smoothie--about 3/4 cup coconut milk, 1/2 a pineapple ring, and 1/2 a ripe banana, 3 ice cubes and then blend.  It was awesome as my kid downed it; tasted like a pina colada =)

We have this week off from NAET, but looking at getting back at it next week and finishing up the basic 15!!  Knock on wood, my son has been doing well and eating a ton!  I need to weigh him, I know he's gained some weight.

Cottonwood

Just as things started to settle down from clearing yeast, the itch picked up again once we did Acids.  Our Acid treatment also coincided with the blooming of the Cottonwood trees and all those white fluffy things in the air.  He did clear Acid, and then instead of doing Base our NAET doc said his body really needed to be treated for Cottonwood and to keep him indoors for 30-hours afterwards given the reaction his body was having to it.  I tell ya what, as soon as he did the Cottonwood treatment I don't think he itched for the rest of the day and he even went to bed peacefully.  It was nice to do a treatment where food didn't have to be avoided, the downer was keeping him in during some beautiful weather.

Sunscreen Safety List

Sunscreen is always an issue in my house, my kid reacts to everything I've ever tried on him.  I came across this site that provides sun screen testing results, I knew there was a reason why I always avoided the chemical sunscreens--those are bad news!  I did just order the Badger one that was rated highest and uses zinc oxide which we haven't tried since it was in diaper cream, I imagine it will go on thick and white, but if it works then it really doesn't matter.

http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/best-beach-sport-sunscreens/

Making Headway!

We're moving on from yeast--YEAH!!  It only took 4 attempts, but in the end it was worth it.  Our NAET doc tested my son for all varieties of yeast this morning, and he was strong on everything (including cryptococcus!)  Then we moved onto Acids, and without a doubt they need to be treated.  From a food perspective Acids are the toughest we've come across since my kid doesn't eat eggs, milk, or tomatoes.   That leaves other veggies, dried beans, salt, and oil.  I made homemade refried beans which turned out well, but I didn't put any spicy seasoning in them so they're a little bland.  I'm also taking a chance and letting him eat organic corn chips with the beans.  He has to eat something!  They're made of corn, salt, and oil.  But I know the diet calls for fresh veggies.  I'll be rubbing gates all day.  I plan on making a veggie stir-fry for dinner, and will have sweet potatoes available.  Breakfast will be challenging, but I did buy some cottage cheese that only has milk, cream, and enzymes in it.  The doc said yogurt & cottage cheese are more acidic than milk and should be avoided for this treatment, but I might have to chance it.

Life's Lessons

My 4 YO and I were having a talk about learning from our experiences that life brings our way.  I told him he's learning a good lesson early in life, that hard work pays off and that you have to persevere.  I asked him if he knew what 'persevere' meant, to which he replied "mommy, daddy, and me are gonna crash the bad guys! We're gonna win!"  Bad guys to him are his itchies.  And he's right, we are going to win.

Feels Like I Have a New Kid!

It seriously feels like I have a new kid since the candida treatment.  My kid has been sleeping through the night and he has been genuinely happy and pleasant!  He's also put on a little weight recently, up to 31 1/2 pounds--he's gained 2 pounds in the last 2 months which is a huge deal for him.  The other major deal is that he ate corn chips and string cheese yesterday--and he STILL slept through the night!  We're anticipating doing the acid treatment this week which is very restrictive as far as diet is concerned so I've been trying out a couple of the foods he's been avoiding since his RAST test last August.  I hope this isn't a fade, but a sign of things to come!

Another bonus, at swim class tonight I heard him say while in the water "Hey, the water isn't burning my face!"  He constantly reacts to the pool water, every week his eyes are irritated and rashy during class.  I've been debating on taking him out of swim lessons, but it's a safety issue given how frequently he's around pools.  The NAET doc tested him for chlorine, and sure enough he's allergic to it.  It's going to be one of the first things we treat for after the basic 15.  But very curious how he was much better tonight!

Back to NAET--Yeast #3 & Candida

We decided to try and conquer yeast yet again after grains showed they've cleared. We went through each component of the grains vial and it seems that some have cleared and others are still causing issues which we'll go back to later. Good news is that corn seems to be 'a-go', so maybe we can try adding that back to his diet.

This time with yeast we treated it with an emotion attached. Sounds strange, believe me I know! But since we were having such a problem treating it, the doc thought it was worth trying. I had to focus on the trauma he went through after his 3rd DTaP vaccine (asthma, hives, welts, vomiting, fever--for 12 days!) This was proceeded by 6 months of extreme asthma attacks that required monthly urgent care & ER visits.

Good news is that there were no skin reactions with this treatment, what a relief! But asthma reared it's ugly head. It was only a problem every time he laid down and then uncontrollable coughing fits would kick in. But he got through it, and cleared the yeast vial. However, he did not clear candida so we treated separately for the candida vial. Immediately my son's skin brightened up, reminded me of that pregnant glow. And his attitude was improved significantly--he was happy. It also seems as if the itching has subsided a bit, although it is still there. I'm going to ask if they have a cryptococcus vial, as I can't get that picture that I saw of it out of my mind (it matched the lesion on my son's foot.)

Gluten Free Pizza--Yum!

Let me tell you about the delicious pizza crust I made today! After a disappointing shopping trip yesterday in search of Sami's Bakery gluten-free pizza crust for my son's birthday party I reluctantly found one that I had to make. I was dreading it, don't ask me why but I really was. So after reading countless labels I settled on Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free pizza crust because I could make it without egg. Although we've trialed some foods here and there with success, we're still avoiding his allergens until we're through the basic 15 of NAET. Anyways, the crust was surprisingly easy to make--I used ground flaxseed mixed with water in place of the egg. Since my kid is allergic to tomato, I always make a pesto sauce. I put basil, garlic, and olive oil in my Magic Bullet blender, and I have instant great tasting sauce. Then I top the pizza with rice cheese (yes, it's expensive and it does have some caesin in it), and pepperoni from the Whole Foods deli counter, I think it's gluten-free?? The result was a really great tasting pizza with fluffy pizza dough that tasted great (unlike some of the cardboard I've made before.) I'm so happy my son can have pizza tomorrow with his friends, may not seem like much but it is a huge deal. He's also going to get to enjoy his first sip of juice since August.

3rd Time Is Not a Charm

Friday was interesting. We made the 30 minute drive to see the NAET doc, only to not have a treatment. After finding out that the kid didn't pass grains for the 3rd time, the doc and I had a heart-to-heart as to what I thought was going on and what he thought the next course of action should be. I told him I KNOW yeast is a huge issue, and I really want to take things slow and not rush his body through anything. I also told him that I think his liver could use some support, and I have no idea why grains are proving to be so difficult. The doc suggested we look at each component of grains and yeast to see which ones are at issue. The good news is that my boy has cleared corn, something that's been a problem for a while. But he's still having major problems with gluten, oats, wheat bran, and candida. His digestive track is also stressed: small intestine, spleen, stomach, and liver. In the end the doctor suggested we take a week off. Throughout the day my husband and I were really wishing we would have tried to clear gluten, oats, and the other couple of grains that are causing problems. It just seems like the kid is stuck.

Feels Like We're Moving Backwards

Our NAET doc was back today--YEAH! I brought pictures of our ordeal from the last 12 days, and of course we found out the kid didn't clear yeast. At first the dr. wanted to jump in and re-treat for yeast along with a candida vial. The very mention of it sent anxiety running through my entire being. I know we need to proceed to get past these issues, but I dread it. So we talked for a bit as to what would be the best course of action, and the dr. decided a rebalancing is in order using the very first treatment vial (BBF.) But when my son was treated, he didn't even clear that vial. So the doc backtracked only to find that Grains had reared their ugly head and my son was showing signs of not clearing them. In the end, my kid was treated with both BBF and Grains, and fortunately grains didn't take much effort while in the office so hopefully this is the last of them! If all goes as planned, we will return to yeast on Friday, oh please let us get through this!

A Couple of Good Finds

If anyone is interested in researching Yeast and Candida, I stumbled upon this site that has a lot of good information:
http://www.yeastinfectionadvisor.com/yeastinfectioninchildren.html

I also found the best gluten-free/dairy-free brownies! I also make them egg-free by using 1/4c applesauce & 1 teaspoon of ground flaxseed to replace the omega 3s (optional.) They're by Namaste Foods, they also have many other mixes as well:
https://www.namastefoods.com/shopping/storefront/cgi-bin/product_nutrition.cgi?Product_Id=3&Category_Id_Search=5&Closeout_Search=All&Return_Cgi=item_list.cgi

The kiddo is doing better. Though, I'm just kicking myself for not asking for Nystatin while he's on this dang antibiotic! Nystatin would help keep the yeast in check.

I can handle it all, except . . .

Asthma! It's the one thing that will drive me completely over the edge. Watching my child struggle to breathe is just gut-wrenching. And when he doesn't respond to the albuterol medication like he should, well I can't even explain how that makes me feel. And not that this is about me, it's about my child suffering. Tuesday evening was one of those nights. The cold from his eyes moved into his sinuses and then into his chest. He started retracting so I gave him a breathing treatment, and then 1 1/2 hours later he was coughing uncontrollably and needed another dose. Mind you one dose should last 4 hours. Then he needed a 3rd dose 3 hours later. We were so close to heading to the ER, but fortunately he held stable. It's just so scary when that asthma sets in, it sends my anxiety off the charts. We went back to the Peds office the next day (for the 5th time in 12 days!), and the Ped was actually pleased to see the improvement in his eyes. Since then we've kept up with the albuterol treatments and he's done remarkably well. Hopefully this has all just been a small step back in our quest for health for this child, he deserves to be healthy! He works so hard at it!

Always Something

The Ped took a long hard look at my kid's eyes yesterday, they were an absolute gooey, crusty mess. He swabbed them, which required two of us to hold my son down (poor baby, it was not fun.) As it turns out, he now has a Strep-A infection in his eyes. I would think it's from all the scratching he was doing once NAET brought out the redness and what I presume to be yeast. So now we're treating the eyes with some antibacterial drops, something the kid views as absolute torture. Even bribing him with a trip to Target to pick out a toy doesn't work. The total downer is that he's now on Amoxicillian, after how hard I've tried to build up his gut with good bacteria. On top of that he still has some yeast under his neck and on his privates.

The Ped dropped a bombshell yesterday when he told me he was closing up his practice and relocating across town and only accepting cash, not insurance. I don't blame him wanting to be free from all the red tape so he can focus on curing kids like mine. This is the only doctor who has been able to remotely help my child. So we will be following him as this guy is worth his weight in gold, however I do like the convenience of having a Ped close by.

The NAET doc returns next week, so we will be making a trip to see what the heck is going on here. His nurse saw my son yesterday and said they've seen similar reactions, but not this bad. The Ped reminded me that my son has the worse eczema he's ever seen--gee, thanks. I should also note that I saw more of those white pimple-like things on my kid's hands this morning, they look identical to the one on his foot that was cured by the antifungal cream. Something is trying to get out of his little body, I just wish someone could help us and figure this all out.

Yeast is a huge issue

It's been a long couple of days. My kid's eye continue to look terrible, but they are also changing which I hope is a progression of healing. After the 2nd yeast treatment on Wednesday the eyelids were red, itchy, & scaly. By Friday they were swollen and Saturday pink eye had set in from all the goop coming out of his eyelid and the left one was about swollen shut. I spent the morning talking with his Pediatrician since the D.O. is out of town & the office was closed. In the end his doctor decided against calling in a script for drops as he thinks this is the body trying to heal itself and didn't want to hinder the healing process. He did however recommend some homeopathic remedies, so we high-tailed it to a homeopathic pharmacy (which I had no idea one even existed!) By Sunday afternoon the pink eye is gone (thanks to the Simalison pink eye drops, I love those things!) The eye lids are now scabby from all the scratching and crusted over from the goop--gross, I know, but it is what it is. We're headed to the Ped tomorrow, hopefully he can swab them and see what the heck is going on.

On an interesting related note, last Monday my kid had a hive breakout while we were at a friend's house. Benedryl cleared up the hives, but they manifested into puss filled pimples on his face and one giant one on his foot. The face ones dried up and vanished after a day or so. But the foot one lingered, even after using Bactroban (a prescription anti-bacterial ointment.) While searching the internet for info on my kid's eyes, I came across a picture that looked identical to the thing on his foot. The picture was of a Cryptococcus lesion, which is a type of yeast. So before his nap yesterday I applied some Lotrimin, an anti-fungal cream, to his foot. The boil had vanished by the time he woke up. I also posted a question to the NAET group on Facebook, and received a response from a man that had goopy problems with his eyes after a yeast treatment. Turned out that his liver was stressed from processing all the yeast toxins. Once he was treated for his liver, he was fine. Good to know, but I still feel like we're living in The Twilight Zone.

Here's a pic of the eye lids today, it's worse in person but you get the idea:

I'm Worried

I should be feeling optimistic that we're honing in on what has been ailing my son, but at this stage the yeast has me worried. I'm worried that combating yeast is going to be an endless long process. I'm worried of the likelihood of a systemic yeast overgrowth. I'm worried about having go through another round of anti-fungal treatments. It's safe to say I'm just worried and a little on edge the last few days. My son's eyes look terrible since the NAET yeast treatment, they itch him to the point he's rubbing his eyelashes off and there is now some yellow oozing coming out. His private area is also very itchy, it stings him to pee and I can see a little yeast infection on it. I hate to see him suffer. I have to remind myself something the doctor said--NAET doesn't cause side effects, it causes the body to correct itself. That's the homeopathic approach. My hope is that NAET will allow his body to stop reacting to the yeast because right now it's as if he's allergic to himself. I've been saying this for years now that he's allergic to his blood, maybe there's yeast in his blood--who knows. So on one hand I am feeling discouraged about an uphill battle with yeast. On the other hand I am amazed that NAET could cause this type of reaction. And that also gives me hope that NAET can get us through this. I have to stay positive, but just feeling a little beat up. We don't see the doc for a couple of weeks, of course he was scheduled to be out of town when we're going through this . . .

NAET the last 3 out of 6 days--We Need a Break!

We've seen the NAET doctor the last 3 out of 6 days, normally it's once a week. The doc is heading out of town for 10 days, and wanted to be sure the kiddo cleared grains on the second attempt before he left. Good news was he did, so we proceeded to yeast since we made the trip out there on Monday. Bad news is yeast is giving this kid a run for the money. Immediately his eyelids turned bright, inflamed red and he was complaining of his private area stinging and itching. These are the symptoms he's had for most of his life, with the exception of the last few months after we completed the anti-fungal medication from the Ped. The 25-hours came and went with no improvement in the uncomfortableness, so we headed back to the doc this morning. Sure enough, he didn't clear and it took 2 more attempts before we could leave the office. I was hoping to hear that he didn't, because if he did then that would mean something else is wrong. Afterwards his right eye and forehead turned scaly and flakey, very strange. In addition, his attitude is absolutely terrible, the miserable child has returned so I know he's not feeling well. I know it's hard to hang my hat on the 'hocus-pocus' of NAET, but it sure seems more than a coincidence that all these symptoms are raging out of my kid during the yeast treatment. I pray he clears during the next 25-hours, I'm anxious to see how he is on the other side of this yeast treatment.

On to Yeast

Given the hard time we had last week with Grains, the doc wanted to re-test my kid asap after the 25-hour window of the second go-round. So we headed back to on Monday, and whoo-hoo he passed grains this time. So it was onto yeast which I suspected was going to give him lots of trouble. In our days with the Naturopathic doctor, she had always claimed he had an issue with fungus. Our Ped had thought yeast in the gut was an issue and had my son on an anti-fungal medication for a couple of months. You should have seen the stuff coming out of his skin while on that, it was a horrible experience. With NAET yesterday, it ended up taking 4 attempts to get him to clear yeast to start the 25-hour period. In addition, 2 support vials were added (brain 3 & brain 6.) He is to avoid all sugar, fruit, and yeast (breads/baked goods) for 25-hours. So I packed him a lunch of pulled pork, green beans, white rice, and then carrots & celery to snack on. I threw in some potato chips to balance it out a bit ;) My kid eats healthy, but I know it's hard for him when surrounded by little ones at pre-school eating pizza rolls, goldfish crackers, and cookies. I sure hope all this hard work and sacrifice pays off, it has to.

One Long Week, and Round 2 for Grains

I think it's safe to say that last week's reaction was NAET related. Friday was the treatment and rough day, Saturday he seemed fine, Sunday totally cranky, then Monday a swollen gland below his right ear that lasted two days which coincided of complete irritability for the week. I was chalking up the attitude to seasonal allergies, but maybe I should have been relating them to NAET? Or at least that what the doctor is inclined to think as he's seen this before. And come to find out, the kid didn't come close to clearing grains. It took another 4 attempts and adding the Brain 2 vial to help get him to clear today. We go back early next week for a check up just in case he doesn't clear so he's not sitting in limbo. The doctor also mentioned that the hardest to clear usually reap the biggest improvements, lets hope! Once again post-treatment my son is extremely tired, and put himself down for a nap which never happens.

Breadsticks!

We took a big gamble today and let the little guy have a piece of cheesy bread from a pizza place. We were at a birthday party and ran out the door without his lunch bag. Of course he loved it, he hasn't had bread or cheese since some time in August. I was a bit nervous, but he did great. No hives, no itching! It's a start, but I know I'll still be very cautious. I also learned that while I was out, hubby let the kid drink some tea with honey in it. Now honey was rated a 4 out of 6 on the RAST test and his head use to turn tomato red after having any, but there was no reaction. So that is also very encouraging! The thought of adding some foods back to his diet is awesome, maybe he'd finally gain some weight!

Also, I want to thank the ladies that took time to comment on NAET reactions!! It really helps to hear what others have experienced!!

Was it NAET or just a bug?

So was it NAET or just a bug? Yesterday after his treatment my son was immediately unusually tired, begging to take his nap before we were even home from the doctors. A few hours later he had a fever of 102, was nauseous, took another nap, and finally vomited a couple of times. He woke up this morning feeling fine. So either he picked something up while at the doctor's office, or maybe this is the homeopathic effect the doc was warning us about? I have read that NAET can cause one not to feel well during the 25 hour window, and with homeopathy sometimes things get worse before they get better. Then again, it could totally be a virus. Guess we'll just have to wait and see if any other changes are noticed.

Grains--A toughie

Last week's treatment was salt, and I mentioned how he had some issues during the treatment. Well the very next day he had a terrible reaction to beef. This was un-marinated, grain-fed from Whole Foods beef. This was also the second time since his Iron treatment that he's reacted to beef. Prior to that he's never reacted to beef. I'm wondering if we're getting to a deeper layer of discovery here, or if it's just a new allergen? He did end up clearing salt from last week and was re-checked for Iron, which was still clear so we proceeded this week with Grains--Wheat, Corn, Rye, Rice, Millet. It took 4 treatments in the office this morning to get a clear on Grains, so he definitely has a big issue with them. Afterwards, he was so unusually tired that he actually wanted to take his nap, which has never happened before. The doctor asked if my kid has any issues with grains, and I started to say 'No' because he only eats rice, but DUH he only eats rice because he can't tolerate the others! I'm wondering if 'grain-fed' beef would cause a reaction since he's so sensitive to grains? Sounds far fetched, but I'm sure stranger things have happened.

As for my husband, he cleared eggs and was treated for calcium today. He had told me during his initial appointment that he was tested on something that hurt his arm and elbow so bad, but couldn't recall exactly what it was. Turned out it was calcium. He said it was so weird, but when tested today he had absolutely no strength at all and excruciating pain in his arms against the lightest of touches. Then after the treatment his strength was solid as a rock and no pain. He was told he's very allergic to calcium, especially his lungs which are his weak spot.

2/3s through the basics

Yay metals cleared! It was a bit of a challenge keeping the little guy away from anything metal for the last treatment. Ok, it was impossible, but he cleared. The kid was a champ wearing his gloves every waking moment, good thing the weather was still cool! He'd even remember to put them on right when he woke up. A little bribery didn't hurt either! I told him he could pick a toy out at Target once the 25 hours were up.

Today's treatment was for Salts. Again, not easy to avoid because it's in just about ALL foods--but way easier than metal! My son was very uncomfortable during the actual treatment at the D.O.'s office. He was almost whimpering, which is unheard of for him. And his palms turned bright red and splotchy. The doc checked him 3 times while we were there, and he was clear so that was good. We also talked about my son's progress. He seems much less reactive, and if the environment was held constant I think I'd be really singing the praises of NAET. However, the chlorine reactions at swim lessons and the welcoming of Spring with seasonal allergies keep me cautious. Although, I can say that he did much better this week in the pool.

On another note, my husband had his second treatment; this time for eggs. Apparently his lungs do not like eggs in any way, shape, or form according to the chiropractor he's seeing. He also inquired about continuing his allergy shots. He was told he could, but he won't be needing them after he completes NAET. That would be awesome!!

Treatment #9--Metals

This weeks treatments was a toughie, the kid wasn't allowed to touch ANY metal object. Pretty much impossible, but we managed to get through the 25 hours with gloves, gate rubbing, and bribery. The weirdest thing happened during his actual treatment at the D.O.'s office, the inside of his right ear turned bright, flaming red and a few spots broke out on his face. The ear subsided after the 20 minute treatment. Very strange, but I've read about some similar reactions. We had prepped him that it was going to be a tough day and that once he got through it he could pick out a toy from Target. It's so much to ask from a 3 year-old, but he did great. Now, hopefully he clears so we don't have to repeat this one. And I hope this one helps his reaction to the pool water during swim lessons, as it's suppose to help with chlorine--will know more this week. . .

Let him eat cake!

We're not eating "normal" food yet, but I was able to make a pretty decent gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, and cornstrach free chocolate cake. I bought a box of the Whole Food's 365 brand gluten-free chocolate cake mix and substituted applesauce for the eggs, coconut oil for butter, and coconut milk for yogurt. It was so cool to watch my kid enjoy licking the batter off the spoon, and he literally licked the bowl clean. I can't wait to serve it up with some coconut milk "ice cream."

Half way through the basics . . .

Good news, my son cleared for iron after the second treatment. I had a feeling that Iron would clear this time as my son looked fabulous during the 25 hour period following the second treatment. He did however breakout in hives at swim class during the week, so there's definitely an issue there that needs to be addressed.

Today we got to work on Vitamin A, the 8th substance to be treated for out of the basic 15. This one is already off to a rough start with his hands and wrists breaking out in eczema right after treatment, and then he broke out in some pretty bad hives after eating his bland dinner of steak that I marinated in olive oil with a sprinkle of salt & sugar since those were on the list of things he could eat today. It was such a insignificant amount of salt and sugar that it's hard to pinpoint the outbreak on them, and I really doubt it was the meat as I even went as far to get a nice cut of vegetarian fed at Whole Foods. Sometimes there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the crazy world of food allergies, but fortunately there is Benedryl.

On another note, my husband had his first NAET treatment with another practitioner as he has decided to try it for himself. It's interesting to compare notes between the two. Curious for those who have gone through NAET, was your practitioner listed on the NAET website? One of our is, the other isn't. Also, were you allowed to stay in the room with your child (I suppose if you were a surrogate you'd have to.) I do stay in the room with my son even though I'm not a surrogate, but I know in the reading it says another person shouldn't be there during treatment.

Iron, Round 2

As we walked out the door this morning to see the NAET doc, I told my husband that I didn't think our son cleared this treatment, which was for Iron. Some of the itching has reared it's ugly head this week, and there were a couple of nights where he woke up for a few minutes. Sure enough, he didn't clear it by a long shot. So we repeated the treatment and the doc added another support vial to help the body out. I sure hope he clears this time, as I hate to spend anymore money than necessary on this! Fortunately this was the first treatment we've had any issue with, and the doctor said each person tends to have one or two that give people a hard time. So we'll just wait and see how he does at next week's appointment . . .

Mini-Test

My son and I stopped over my friend's house that is under construction. I had some reservations about doing so knowing all the dust, drywall, caulking, paint, new carpeting, and who knows what else he would come in contact. But it was a nice day and he could easily go outside if needed. He did great. After being there for an hour there were no hives or itchies. However, I did notice some pink looking allergy eyes starting on him, and my own throat getting scratchy. But this was all very mild considering how he's reacted in the past, and he required no benedryl. So I continue to be cautiously encouraged that we will get through this...

1/2 a pound & NAET #7

8 ounces, 1/2 a pound. That's how much weight my 3 year old gained in one week. Now that may not seem like much to you, but it's HUGE to us. He had been holding tight on 29 pounds for at least 6 months. Then he finally hit 30 pounds at last week's appointment, and today he had gained another 1/2. I mentioned he has been eating non-stop since starting NAET, so I knew the scale had to start budging at some point. He is also feeling more solid to us, like he's finally getting some meat on his bones. Could be just a growth spurt, or could be NAET. Who knows, but it's a step in the right direction.

We also treated for Iron today, as Sugar was cleared. NAET has updated their workbooks and the new book says to avoid leather in addition to many foods. This is already proving to be a bit of a challenge since we have leather couches. We'll be rubbing those gates all day and hope we clear next week.

Fast Asleep

It's been 7 1/2 long months, but my 3 year old is now able to fall asleep on his own and sleep all night by himself. This is huge! There's no more scratching, flaking, crying, or bleeding. It's calm, peaceful sleep. How wonderful! We're going for 3 nights in a row tonight. And he's so much happier and pleasant to be around now that he's feeling good (I'm sure that goes for myself as well.) Oh, and the appetite on this kid has become ravenous--he's now eating non-stop all waking hours. The D.O. did say that the increased appetite is usually the first sign, I can only hope it's a good sign of things to come.

Clear Skin! and NAET #6

It's been a long time coming, but DS is COMPLETELY cleared as of right now. That pesky spot above his eye has healed with the help of Protopic, I've been so reluctant to use this due to the FDA "black label" that it can cause cancer. Our doctor has been reassuring that it's completely safe as long as he's not eating tubes of it a day. It took about 4 days for the patch to heal--I applied a small fingertip amount twice a day for 3 days and then once for 2 and that seems to be all it needed. The itch has also greatly diminished. The allergist wants me to apply it 3 times a week, and the steroid cream twice a week. I'm going to play it by ear and see what's necessary.

On the asthma front, the last 5 weeks have been tough with upper respiratory infections which have required extra pulmicort and albuterol =( The allergist wants to up the daily dose of pulmicort to .5 from .25, and the Ped agrees since he says a cold should not be leading to asthma, as it shows the lungs "aren't up to snuff." Ugh. The Ped also said that once my son is feeling better that we can try to expose him to one of his environmental allergies (like caulk) to see if the MSM supplement is working and having the desired effect on the liver. Yeah, it would be nice to know, but oh how I dread these types of tests!

As for NAET, we had our 6th treatment yesterday. This was the Sugar Treatment. I'm curious to see if I notice any change, as I think sugar is a real problem from my son. His body just doesn't deal well with it, which I think it telling with his honey allergy being a level 4 on the RAST test. Interesting to note that my son said his itchies are GONE right now and is begging to eat a certain treat that he's been forbidden due to the allergies. Guess he thinks if the itchies are gone, then he can go back to eating goodies. My husband and I just had a conversation saying maybe it's coincidence, but after every NAET treatment there are positive changes that we talk about and notice.

What I notice with myself is that once his skin clears I tend to loosen up some of the food restrictions which then puts us back to square one. And it's not like it's major stuff, but twice in the past I've allowed him to eat broccoli which leads to immediate problems. I just have to remind myself not to let my guard down even though the skin problems aren't right in front of my face!

I've also come across two great NAET blogs, listed listed on the side. I so appreciate other moms sharing their experiences, thank you!

NAET Discussion Blog

I stumbled upon this blog that had a very interesting discussion on NAET treatments by parents, a couple of years worth! Seems people start off very skeptical at first, many see good results while some never do. I didn't do a tally on it, but the positives definitely out weighed the negative:
http://pluckymama.wordpress.com/2007/11/01/naet-allergy-experience/#comment-7503

5th NAET Treatment

We had our 5th NAET treatment today--B Vitamins. The kiddo "cleared" the C treatment from last week, so it was on to the next.
Today's treatment of B vitamins is a bit challenging. He has to avoid all contact with meat, veggies, fruits, grains, beans and so forth. For 25 hours he will eat white rice, white rice pasta, well cooked fish, french fries, cauliflower, and water. I made sure he ate a big breakfast this morning because he won't be allowed any of his favorite foods and snacks. Good thing it's only for 25 hours and half of that will be sleep time!

We are now 1/3 done with the basic 15, which is still early in the game according to the D.O. Is it working? I still am unable to answer that question. But, does my son have a rash or eczema anywhere? Only above his right eye. The rest of his body is completely cleared. Although we have gotten to this point here and there in the past, this has been consistent for many weeks now. Can I say it's due to NAET exclusively? No. It's a lot of hard work from diet to skin care to supplements to research, etc. I can say that his appetite has really grown the last few weeks and that his bowels are now regular. The doc said these are frequent phenomenas that his NAET patients experience. Only time will tell.